The work of the Manu Learning Centre is holistic and there are three core areas where volunteers will participate - Conservation Research, Capacity Building & Education and Livelihoods & Communities . Volunteers need to be
- Able to work under instruction
- Flexible
- Able to work as a team
- Physically fit
- Spanish skills are a benefit but not essential
Introduction
people and places was conceived to ensure meaningful experiences for volunteers and communities working together.
There is much debate about the validity of volunteering by the traditional "Gapper" - post school or university, but we believe that you DO have real skills to share, and that with good management and planning, your skills can help to make a real difference in the communities we serve.
We've worked with our local partners and communities with whom we already work to design volunteer placements for "Gappers" that will be meaningful, responsible and sustainable. You can be sure that you’re not replacing local employment and that your work will be part of a larger programme that is helping vulnerable communities build the future they would want for themselves.
A placement in this project will be challenging, rewarding, meaningful, frustrating ... and fun! It will help you develop your personal skills too - but that is not the priority - the priority is to help local people create a better future.
The Project
The Manu project works with communities in the valley of the Alto Madre de Dios River, a tributary of the Amazon. On one side lies the Manu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the largest protected area in Peru, on the other lies the Indigenous, Amarakaeri Community Reserve.The Manu Learning Centre is located in the centre of the two in this incredible part of Peru.
The first week of your placement is a training and orientation period which will enable you to make a valuable contribution the project.
Where possible, your time will be tailored to match your interests and to where you can make the most impact. The degree to which you'll run or assist on projects will largely depend upon your abilities. You will receive guidance and encouragement from professional project coordinators throughout conducting your own work.
To give you an idea, past projects have included:
• Fauna - wildlife monitoring and capacity building program
• Mapping - using GPS to map the area and record areas of special interest
• Carbon initiative - offsetting greenhouse emissions through forest regeneration
• Reforestation - planting new forest to provide renewable commercial timber
• Education - educating local children in rainforest and sustainable development practices
• Field guide - producing an illustrated educational tool
• Night monkeys - studying the habits of the night monkey
• Jungle exploration - maintaining and expanding the trail system and exploring the area
The main focus is one of sustainability. The Manu Learning Centre (MLC), the central facility out in Manu, is an example of this. Here they harness solar power and alternative technology where possible, so minimise damage to the environment. The MLC incudes a bio-garden project within the local communities, helping them to construct gardens and learn about how to use them to grow vegetables and fruits native to the region, rather than depending on expensive imports or unsuccessful crops and cropping techniques from the Andes. The bio garden project is a model farm – and demonstrates how it can work. If local people decide that they could do the same, then MLC provide support. The applied tecniques learned here can assist local people to generate an income as well as feed themselves. Volunteers with business and administration skills as well as horticultural skills will be of huge benefit to the model farm.
Context
The project is located in the Alto Madre de Dios valley. This is the most populated area in the region of Manu due to its un-protected status. There are several small settlements and communities; some near the river and others further back into the forest which form Manu in which we work. The Manu Learning Centre is located within this area, on the Eastern bank of the river, within the Mascoitania Reserve. It is opposite the community of Los Aguanos, and near Mansilla and Adnanrayo, communities within which we work.
Most of these communities are composed of settlers from the Andes who have lived in the region for between 5 and 20 years. Their prospects are small, there are no resources to speak of and their level of education is poor. They have no means to develop their options as they are tied to their farms and their families. The project works alongside these people to give them options, enable them to make choices, and take control of their own lives.
The Manu Biosphere Reserve encompasses almost the entire watershed of the Manu river, from tributaries that start high in the Andes down to the lowland Amazonian rainforests that stretch to the Atlantic. It's geography, biodiversity and indigenous communities not only make it a compelling destination but also a valuable cultural, scientific and economic resource. An area approximately the same size as Wales and although, only 70km from Cusco, the Manu Biosphere Reserve has remained relatively protected by the limited access routes.
The Manu National Park (MNP) is the largest national park in Peru and comprises more than 1.6 million hectares of intact tropical ecosystems, from lowland rainforest through cloud forest to highland elfin forest and humid Andean grasslands and swamps
The MNP is also home to no less than eight Amerindian tribes as well as native highland Quechua-speaking communities and immigrant colonists (mestizos), all of whom add-up to a cultural mix of 18,000 people. A further 6,000 people (mainly foreigners) visit the MBR every year as tourists.
